In Switzerland, employers can decide (with their employees) to meet the requirements of Swiss pension legislation either using an insurance contract or through an autonomous pension fund. Of the CHF 600 billion in pension assets held in Switzerland, 80% are currently handled by autonomous pension funds.

Autonomous pension funds are organised as legal entities, with a balance sheet, profit and loss statement, and separate supervisory authority. As such, they need services ranging from insurance products to administration services, and from asset management to investment consulting and actuarial advice.

Independent consultancy services since 2009
It was to serve this important market that Swiss Life set up an independent consulting firm, Swiss Life Pension Services Ltd (SLPS) in 2009, which provides both local and cross-border services.

Led by Roland Schmid, former CEO of Hewitt Switzerland (the largest pension consulting and administration provider in Switzerland), the company now has a team of 22 specialists offering a broad range of local and international expertise and experience.
- Seven accredited Swiss pension experts (three of whom also have international consulting experience) support Swiss pension funds. Alongside meeting all Swiss requirements, SLPS has developed a methodology of tailored benefit benchmarking, taking account of inflation, expected return on assets and salary increases.
- Five international accounting specialists provide profound knowledge of IFRS and US GAAP requirements. SLPS currently serves over 120 clients with international accounting services.
- Ten administrators deliver commercial services including book-keeping, collecting employee contributions, preparing annual accounts, technical administration, operational management, and preparation and leading of board of trustees’ meetings.
- Four accredited actuaries deliver actuarial and technical calculations at both individual and pension fund levels. They also provide information through our Asset and Liability Management (ALM) services, giving clients a clear understanding of the structural situation of their pension fund and how liabilities are developing over time. Based on this, SLPS assists clients to develop an optimised asset portfolio.

Full range of pension services
An overview of SLPS services is available on www.swisslife.ch/de/home/unternehmen/produkte/dl/slps

Benefits for international clients and headquarters
- SLPS checks the consistency of international accounting assumptions, so that companies do not have to rely solely on the input of local advisors
- Local pension fund administration service costs are reduced through benchmarking and implementing efficiencies
- Local risk becomes transparent, with different approaches to risk reduction available
- The SLPS benchmarking methodology enables streamlining and cross-border comparisons of benefits for international companies
- As a Swiss company, SLPS is committed to quality and precision
- SLPS consultants are members of the Swiss Chamber of Pension Actuaries
- A systematic advisory process guarantees optimal management of the autonomous pension fund
- The size and experience of the SLPS team ensures expert delivery of the full range of advisory services

For more information
please visit www.swisslife.ch/de/home/unternehmen/produkte/dl/slps